Totally Binge Worthy : The Staircase on Netflix

👍👍👍👍out of 4👍

I know its summer and technically we shouldn't be staying in and binge watching shows but I mean can we be honest here?  I know there is a big world out there to venture out into (blah, blah, blah) but after a long work week some weekends you just want to curl up on your sofa and binge!!  Am I right or am I right?  👀

Are you looking to binge on some truly noteworthy, mind boggling, throw-things-at-the-tv upsetting true crime television?  I have got you covered!  The Staircase, now available on Netflix, 100% fits the bill.  When I was in graduate school I remember two of my classmates having heated debates about this true crime documentary, did he do it? One would say, Yes, without a doubt, maybe. And the other would say, absolutely not, at least the prosecution hasn't convinced me of his guilt..this poor man is caught in the giant, inescapable web we call the justice system.  Every week they would switch positions based on how much they were able to get through.

In 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found covered in blood and unresponsive at the bottom of the back staircase of their North Carolina mansion by her husband, Michael Peterson.  Michael Peterson quickly called the police and sounded shocked and alarmed at his discovery.  He told police, he and his wife were enjoying a few glasses of wine in their backyard on a quiet, unremarkable evening.  His wife went into the house (for reasons we do not know, but I mean people move around, maybe she needed to use the bathroom, maybe she was cold, maybe she went in to grab a sweater, who knows?) sometime after  he went in the house (maybe to check on her) and found her unresponsive.  He assumes she had too much to drink and fell down a narrow, curved staircase.  The police were unconvinced and decided to search the home.  They found gay porn on his computer along with emails from male prostitutes and decided that was his motive!  His wife must have found out he was bisexual and having extramarital affairs, confronted him and a fight ensued leading to her death.  What we follow throughout the 13 episodes is the defenses' preparation and execution of Michael's defense and all the twists and turns the case takes.

The Staircase is just 13x1 hour long episodes but it is a culmination of 16 years of work by director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.  The footage and deeply private moments the director is able to access between Michael Peterson and his adult children is fascinating and sometimes you feel like you shouldn't be listening in on such private moments.  The family dynamic is a complicated one, they were a blended family and they remain loyal to their father throughout the entire ordeal.

In an interview the director says the purpose was to "follow the way the justice system would treat the case. I was looking at the justice system.  And when the verdict came, to me it was like a shock." You can read the full interview here .  Warning: There are some spoilers in that interview so you might not want to read the article before you watch it.   

Verdict: Did he do it or is he innocent of murder?  I still don't know.  But I highly recommend this documentary.  It will change the way you see the world when you realize truth can be bent and anyone can misconstrue anything based on their own preconceived judgements and bias and THAT is a fact.

Check out the trailer here:


I hope you check it out and tell me what you think!  Shoot me a DM via my instagram while you watch. :)

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Until next time...


LifeStyledbyErica